Economic Policy News

The Daily Signal provides economic policy news with reporting, analysis, and commentary on markets, growth, and fiscal responsibility.
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    • Opinion

    Bulgaria’s Growth in Economic Freedom Will Speed Its Recovery

    Economic freedom has been growing rapidly in Bulgaria, one of Eastern Europe’s least heralded reformers. The country’s score in the latest edition of The Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Economic Freedom is 70.2 (on a 0-100 scale), making its economy the 36th freest out of 180 countries measured. Bulgaria’s score has climbed a total of…
    James M. Roberts
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    • Opinion

    Azerbaijan Making Promising Strides in Advancing Economic Freedom

    Until the global economy was hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic, oil production was booming in Azerbaijan. The country’s vast hydrocarbon and other natural resources—the backbone of its economy—were enabling it to serve as a significant alternative to Russia for oil and gas. That in turn has helped Europe’s energy security and, by association, the security…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    How Greater Trade Freedom Advances Women’s Economic Empowerment

    A new study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, “Gender and Trade,” considers the impact of trade on women and notes that effective trade policy “works in tandem with domestic policy to support women’s economic empowerment.” More specifically, the report highlights the importance of market structure and institutional quality in shaping the…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    With Another Default Looming, Economic Freedom Is Again at Risk in Argentina

    Argentina’s economic freedom score increased slightly this year. But as the 149th-freest out of 180 countries graded in the 2020 edition of The Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Economic Freedom, Argentina remains in the bottom rankings of mostly unfree and repressed economies. The policies of the current leftist government in Buenos Aires threaten to sink…
    James M. Roberts
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    • Opinion

    It’s Time for an Economic Freedom Partnership With Africa

    In the context of a strong plea for reparations and debt relief from China for its recent predatory behavior in Africa, Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former vice president of the World Bank and former Nigerian Cabinet minister, made a startling admission. In a recent opinion piece for The Globe and Mail newspaper of Toronto, she wrote:…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    Reopening South Africa Through Greater Economic Freedom

    South Africa’s overall economic freedom score increased slightly in the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom. Its score is well above the regional average, but its economy remains in the mostly unfree category into which it dropped in 2019—after 24 years in the ranks of the moderately free. Even before the pandemic, South Africa’s gross domestic…
    James M. Roberts
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    • Opinion

    12 Urgent Actions to Reopen America and Prevent an Economic Depression

    The steps we take to reopen America safely will determine whether the United States has to contend with an economic depression—regardless of whether COVID-19 is suppressed in the next several months or the next year. How we build on those steps will not just be critical in restarting the American economy, but also could help…
    Paul Winfree
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    • Opinion

    How ‘Sound Fiscal Policies’ Are Enhancing Economic Freedom in Paraguay

    Paraguay has solidified its status as a “moderately free” economy, according to The Heritage Foundation’s recently released 2020 Index of Economic Freedom. Ranked 80th out of 180 countries worldwide, Paraguay is the 15th-freest country in the Western Hemisphere. At first glance, Paraguay appears an unlikely prospect to stand out as a notable emerging market. In…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    How Tiny Estonia Became an Outsized Partner for Economic Freedom

    Estonia is a shining example of why freedom matters. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, this tiny northern Baltic country that shares a border with Russia has made huge progress in implementing democracy and economic freedom and in developing a strong national defense. Estonia has aligned itself with the West—particularly the United States—and since…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    Celebrating Earth Day by Increasing Economic Freedom Around the World

    It's economic freedom that will save the earth. Apart from health care, no other big government policies and actions are more intrusive and economically distortionary than environmental regulations. Rather than relying on civil society, free markets, and a free press to ensure environmental quality and safeguards, a myriad bureaucrats and agencies in governments and international…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    What Would the Reopening of the Economy Look Like?

    As our national lockdown drags on, Americans seem less and less inclined to move swiftly toward societal reopening. Perhaps that’s due to the consistent media focus on the risks of reopening. Perhaps that’s also due to the psychological comfort of the status quo: When we’ve been made to feel safe in our home, it’s difficult…
    Ben Shapiro
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    • Opinion

    Kazakhstan’s Investment in Economic Freedom Pays Dividends

    Kazakhstan recorded the fifth-largest gain in economic freedom of any country in the world over the past year, according to The Heritage Foundation’s 2020 Index of Economic Freedom. The country’s score (69.6 on a 0-100 point scale) puts it on the threshold of earning the index’s coveted “mostly free” designation. Ranked as having the 39th-freest…
    James M. Roberts
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    • Opinion

    Sending More Money to States Could Make Their Budget Problems Worse

    The National Governors Association recently asked Congress for a bailout of $500 billion in addition to the more than $200 billion included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The money sought by the governors would be “unrestricted,” meaning its use need not be tied directly to COVID-19, the disease caused by…
    Adam Michel
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    • Opinion

    Why Economic Freedom Matters More Than Ever: In 3 Charts

    In her recent column, Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James offered a timely message on why economic freedom matters more than ever. As she emphasized: The debate in the United States over whether to move away from free markets and toward socialism may change dramatically as the latest coronavirus spreads throughout the world. That’s because…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    Prospects for More Economic Freedom Rise With New Slovak Government

    Ranked 60th in the world (out of 180 countries), Slovakia’s economic freedom score increased slightly in The Heritage Foundation’s 2020 edition of the Index of Economic Freedom. But the country’s economy remains stalled in the index’s “Moderately Free” category, where it has been for a decade. After it gained independence from the former Czechoslovakia in…
    James M. Roberts
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    • Opinion

    Advancing Economic Freedom: Key to Africa’s Future

    During his first trip to Africa as secretary of state earlier this year, Mike Pompeo highlighted the importance of economic freedom. In his speech entitled “Liberating Africa’s Entrepreneurs,” Pompeo said: We want basic security for our families.  We want opportunity and reward for the hard work that we invest in.  And we want the freedom…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • Opinion

    New Index Finds Rising Tide of Economic Freedom

    Governments around the world are responding to the coronavirus epidemic with a variety of measures that have the potential to curtail economic activity. It’s vital that such actions be temporary and of as short a duration as possible. Government restrictions and regulations have a tendency to outlast—sometimes for decades—the crises they were implemented to address….
    Terry Miller
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    • News

    Budget Chief Prescribes Less Government Spending as Key to Draining Swamp

    Fiscal responsibility is key to draining the swamp, the White House budget chief said Saturday in remarks to an annual gathering of conservative activists outside Washington. “We cannot permanently drain the swamp if we don’t reduce spending in agencies that are regulating the American people, that are filling the offices across the country, the accounts,…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    Strengthening America’s Economic Engagement With Africa

    America’s first trade deal with a sub-Saharan African country is in the works, and the results could be significant. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced they would pursue a free trade agreement between the two countries. With about $1 billion in trade with the U.S. annually, Kenya is East…
    Anthony B. Kim
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    • News

    Trump’s Budget Weighs In at $4.8 Trillion, Projects Deficits Until 2035

    The Trump administration on Monday presented a $4.8 trillion spending proposal for fiscal 2021 to Congress that would balance the federal budget in 15 years, cut foreign aid, and boost the nuclear arsenal.  President Donald Trump’s spending plan also asks Congress to increase spending for border security, infrastructure, and NASA.  “The plan offered today proposes…
    Fred Lucas
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